The Productivity Commission's inquiry report into the "Conservation of Australia's Historic Heritage Places," was released on 21 July 2006. The Commission was asked to examine the policy framework and incentives for the conservation of Australia's historic built heritage places. Some key...

On 17 January 1997 the Government referred ecologically sustainable land management in Australia for inquiry and report within 12 months. For the purposes of this inquiry, land used for agricultural or pastoral purposes includes both the land and associated vegetation, and ground and surface...

The Productivity Commission's inquiry report into the Australian Pigmeat Industry, was released on 16 August 2005. The Commission was asked to examine the competitive situation and outlook for the pigmeat industry in Australia. It found that while the pig producing and processing sectors...

In 2004 the Australian Government asked the Productivity Commission to look at the impact on the economy and the community of NCP and related reforms and for areas which offer opportunities for significant gains. The Commission found that the benefits of NCP have greatly outweighed the costs....

The Productivity Commission released its final research report into "Rural Water Use and the Environment: The Role of Market Mechanisms" in August 2006. The report indicates that there is scope for markets to play a greater role in improving the efficient use of water, including for...

The commission research paper, Water Rights Arrangements in Australia and Overseas, was released on 3 October 2003. The paper compares the legal, organisational and regulatory arrangements for managing water rights, against accepted best practice principles. It reveals significant differences...

Trends in Australian Agriculture, was released on 5 July 2005. The report examines some of the key trends in Australia's agriculture sector over the last 20 years or so. While continuing to grow in absolute terms, the size and importance of agriculture has declined relative to the rest of the...

'Harnessing Private Sector Conservation of Biodiversity' was released on 4 December 2001. This paper provides an economic perspective on the role the private sector can play in conservation of biodiversity. It focuses on opportunities for governments to facilitate biodiversity conservation by...

The conference paper, 'Integrating rural and urban water markets in south east Australia: Preliminary analysis' by Gavan Dwyer, Paul Loke, David Appels, Susan Stone and Deborah Peterson, was presented to the OECD Workshop on Agriculture and Water: Sustainability, Markets and Policies Adelaide,...

Precaution: principles and practice in Australian environmental and natural resource management by Deborah Peterson, was presented as the Presidential Address to the 50th Annual Australian Agricultural and Resource Economics Society Conference, Manly, New South Wales, 8 - 10 February 2006. Since...